Margaret Atwood documentary coming to Toronto in October

Ron Mann’s In the Wake of the Flood, the documentary about Margaret Atwood’s less-than-typical book tour, had its world premiere in Sydney yesterday, but a Toronto gala debut at the soon-to-open Bell Lightbox isn’t far off: the film is slotted to launch the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival on October 13.

The Canadian director’s film follows Atwood on her travels through the U.K. and North America via earth-friendly transport, promoting The Year of the Flood (her novel about an eco-cult coping post environmental disaster). Thumbing her nose at the standard read-and-sign, she recruited community choirs at each stop to star with her in dramatizations of key scenes from the book, set to original music; each show raised funds for local green charities.

At the screening, a Toronto women’s choir will do a live rendition of the bizarre literary musical. Atwood and her partner, novelist Graeme Gibson, will also be presented with the festival’s Canadian Eco Hero Award. Maybe Peggy will be inspired to do a spontaneous reprise of this little number? We can only hope.